Culture

10 books you have to read this spring

Culture

10 books you have to read this spring

Slideshow

10 books you have to read this spring

Spring read: In the Unlikely Event

The most formative novelist of your adolescent years is back with a new book, this time for grown-ups. This is the story of the effect of a catastrophic event (spoiler: a plane crash) on a New York suburb in the 1950's. READ MORE: 5 buzzy films to know at Cannes 2015

Image by: ELLECANADA.COM
By: Sarah Laing
Source: Handout

10 books you have to read this spring

Spring read: Let Me Die In His Footsteps

Something to tide you over until Harper Lee's book release: This is an addictive Southern Gothic thriller based on the true story of the last public hanging in America, sprinkled liberally with magic and haunted by an evil darker than sweet tea that's been stewing too long. READ MORE: The perfect date night cocktail

Image by: ELLECANADA.COM
By: Sarah Laing
Source: Handout

10 books you have to read this spring

Spring read: Finding Audrey

Kinsella leaves the world of Becky Bloomwood for a shopping-free tale of a teenage girl overcoming crippling anxiety...and finding first love along the way. READ MORE: 3 books to read this long weekend

Image by: ELLECANADA.COM
By: Sarah Laing
Source: Handout

10 books you have to read this spring

Spring read: The Rocks

Like a Slim Aarons photograph come to life, this is mind-bending story about beautiful people in a beautiful place doing some rather ugly things. READ MORE: 7 of Cindy Crawford's most iconic moments

Image by: ELLECANADA.COM
By: Sarah Laing
Source: Handout

10 books you have to read this spring

Spring read: The Green Road

This story of an Irish family in crisis is vintage Enright, and full of the same careful prose and muted tragedy that won her the Man Booker. READ MORE: One on one with Game of Thrones' Sophie Turner

Image by: ELLECANADA.COM
By: Sarah Laing
Source: Handout

10 books you have to read this spring

Spring read: Eight Hundred Grapes

A woman returns to her family vineyard in Sonoma, Calif., to find that her parents have split, her brothers are in a love triangle and a sexy exec from a wine conglom­erate is plotting a hostile takeover. READ MORE: All the celebrity break ups of 2015...so far

Image by: ELLECANADA.COM
By: Sarah Laing
Source: Handout

10 books you have to read this spring

Spring read: Luckiest Girl Alive

There's a reason Reese Witherspoon is making a tv show out of this book: This slow unravelling of the mysterious past of a woman who appears to "have it all" is like the candy corn of books—addictive, almost too much, but you know you won't be able to resist finishing it ASAP. READ MORE: Best celebrity couples of all time

Image by: ELLECANADA.COM
By: Sarah Laing
Source: Handout

10 books you have to read this spring

Spring read: The Grace Keepers

Attention all escapists: The world created by this exciting new Scottish author is a misty, magical place, where people are divided into "landlockers" (those on the shore) and "dampling" (sea-dwellers), and are never intended to meet...until they do, in the shape of a lonely man and a haunted girl. READ MORE: 7 times the Queen was a total glamazon

Image by: ELLECanada.com
By: Sarah Laing
Source: Handout

10 books you have to read this spring

Spring read: I Take You

Fair warning: You're not going to like the narrator of this book, but this story of a woman's very rocky road to wedded bliss (like she cheated on her fiance days before her wedding sort of rocky) going to make you laugh, wince, and then laugh again. READ MORE: 17 unforgettably beautiful Cannes dresses

Image by: ELLECanada.com
By: Sarah Laing
Source: Handout

10 books you have to read this spring

Spring read: Re Jane

This re-telling of Jane Eyre (as narrated by a Korean-American orphan) is a sharply observed comedy of manners that takes on Brooklyn academic and Seoul hipsters with equal mercilessness. READ MORE: In the mood for a romantic read? Some suggestions

Shopping

Tell us who you're trying to find a gift for!

The holiday gifting struggle is real. Start by taking a look at our holiday gift guide. Still aren't quite sure what to get someone? Tell us who you can't figure out a gift for (and be as specific as possible: BF of 6 months or 6 years? Sister who spends all day watching makeup tutorials? Workplace Secret Santa? etc.) using the hashtag #TellELLECanada and tagging @ELLECanada on Instagram and/or Twitter. Then, tune in to our livestream on the ELLE Canada Facebook page December 9 at 1:30pm to see what we've picked!

We will randomly select one entry to win a beauty advent calendar from The Body Shop ($99 value).

WATCH: Estee Lalonde plays Fishbowl Frenzy

Books

WATCH: Estee Lalonde plays Fishbowl Frenzy

A few weeks back we had Youtube sensation Estee Lalonde into the ELLE Canada Closet to play a little game of Fishbowl Frenzy! Don't forget to pick up our January 2017 issue to see an exclusive portrait of the Internet star...and now IRL author of a new memoir / life advice book, Bloom.

8 fashion brands every minimalist will love

Shopping

8 fashion brands every minimalist will love

Although Alessandro Michele makes a compelling case for more-is-more, some of us will always be drawn to restrained, clean designs. These labels are proving that minimal style doesn't have to boring or unimaginative.

For those of you who prefer your bikini free of palm fronds and hibiscus blooms, there's Aussie brand Matteau Swim, known for basic maillots and high-waisted swim bottoms in a palette of black, grey and white.

Launched this year by Catherine Holstein, Khaite is a balance of the masculine and feminine. Fans of the capsule wardrobe concept will find that pieces in the line, from structured shirt dresses to fitted denim, compliment one another perfectly.

Alnea Farahbella's label Toit Volant is made in the USA with a commitment to sustainable sourcing and manufacturing practices. The pre-spring 2017 collection is full of reworked takes on shirting, like this striped jumpsuit with a high collar.

This Montreal-based label keeps production local (the clothes are sewn in Montreal and some of the fabrics are printed in North America) and its ethos is similar to most of the other brands in this list: to let the individual add personality to the clothes.

Another L.A. brand with a dedication to North American manufacturing and sustainability, 5-year-old Shaina Mote is known for architectural, un-adorned basics and fluid silhouettes. If you could live your life without ever donning a polka dot or cheery stripe, the neutral colours in this line are made for you.

Founded by Tokyo-to-L.A. transplants Alexander Yamaguchi and Momoko Suzuki, brand Black Crane is an edgier, more street-wise take on minimalism – think cocoon dresses and wrap trousers with subtle origami and kimono inspiration.

Frank + Oak and the NBA team up on Raptors merch

Trends

Frank + Oak and the NBA team up on Raptors merch

Canadian fashion label Frank + Oak is always up to something, and tomorrow the Montreal-based brand will drop a 9-piece Raptors collection in collaboration with the NBA. The pieces that make up the line are directional, minimal and best of all—unisex. The pieces include a crisp Oxford shirt patterned with a subtle team logo, a heather grey waffle knit mock-neck and a leather backpack. The coolest piece might be the two-tone pop-over shirt. The Oxford's mock-neck collar and mix of materials offer a completely new take on fan gear. Even fair-weather fans (hey, no judgement) will be tempted by this sleek collab.

The collection will launch tomorrow online and at Frank + Oak's Queen West and CF Sherway Gardens outposts as well as the Real Sports Apparel shop at the Air Canada Center. The brand is set to release merch for 5 more NBA teams in 2017. Until then, go Raptors, go!